Officials can hide texts, emails on private devices from records requests, state Supreme Court rules

By: Liam Niemeyer

Outlets: Kentucky Lantern

Published: April 23, 2026

Words: 973

Last Updated: 3 months, 1 week ago

Body Text Preview

The Kentucky Supreme Court ruled Thursday that emails and text messages created by public officials on private devices are not public records, a decision that a dissenting supreme court justice fears could destroy “the public’s right to know what its government is doing.”

The ruling stemmed from a years-long case brought by the open government advocacy group Kentucky Open Government Coalition. In an open records request in 2021, the group asked for, and …

Create a free account to access this story and more

Join Plucky Wire to access full stories, collaborate with newsrooms, and discover content from networks around the world.

About

FAQ

Email Us